The Broken Ones by Carla Kovach is the eighth book in the Gina Harte series. I have not read any of the other books in the series but after reading this I'll definitely go back and catch up on the previous ones. I really liked this book and Gina Harte is a strong and interesting character that I would like to read more about. The book was very suspenseful and thrilling with clever twists and turns that kept me guessing all the way. I have always liked British crime novels like the Rebus series by Ian Rankin and this is on the same level. If you are looking for a fast paced crime thriller then this is a book for you, highly recommended. 

Thanks to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book an advance and share my honest review.

Pretty good mystery. I enjoy the book. Kept my interest pretty much the whole book. I would recommend this book. Thank you

After reading ‘Her Last Mistake’ in this series, I was excited to spend time with delightful and my favorite detective Gina Harte and her brilliant team.

After the body of a student Amber was found in the lake, Gina and her team had to catch the killer before more lives were lost. The audacious killer has his/her sights set upon the one who was close to the team. 

Loved to see the team in action, the painstaking way the investigation has been carried out like trawling through the crime scenes, going through every debris in it, not leaving anything, treat everyone remotely involved with the victim as suspects and carefully eliminate one by one from their list until they reach the perpetrator. To make things worse for the team, there were a lot of suspects each who had something to hide and wouldn’t co-operate and absconds from them. 

Readers get glimpses of the killer's mind and his/her delusions and I was surprised to find it a little boring and failed to capture my attention. These parts were creepy and involved a lot of stalking and I was scared by this. 

It was hard to pinpoint suspicions on any particular character as Kovach brilliantly plotted this in a way so there were a lot of suspects. After half way through the book, I was able to suspect one but glad I was blindsided by the reveal of the killer. It has brilliant twists and turns but the killer and their obsessions weren’t exciting enough and they were lackluster. Other than this, it was heart-warming to read about the dynamics of the team and how they look out for each other like they are one big family. 

Overall, it was a compelling thriller filled with twists and turns and keeps the reader at the edge of their seat throughout it.

This is book #8 in the DI Gina Harte series.  Whilst part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.  I would however recommend it is read in series order for better understanding of the character’s storylines.  A young woman’s body is found in a park, with her lips glued shut amongst her injuries and Gina is on the case to track down the killer.  I love Gina’s character and love not just seeing how she works, but also following her personal life.  She’s had a hard life with her violent ex-husband, and this shows throughout all the books by her tough exterior and no-nonsense attitude and yet fragile and scared inner self.

The case is a tough one, with too many suspects and not enough evidence to pin any of them down.  Told with interspersing chapters from the killer, the storyline is fast paced and gripping, with plenty of nail-biting moments to send chills down your spine.  You are given no clue as to who the killer may be, and there are lots of red herrings and dead ends for you to work through.  I love books which keep the suspense of who the killer is right until the end, and the author has done a fabulous job of keeping the tension high throughout!

Gina’s team are all back to investigate the case, but they all appear to be having their own personal problems too.  I love Gina and Briggs’s on/off relationship and, whilst I wished they’d just get their act together and make it official, I still wonder whether Gina has too many past demons still in her life which will make it impossible for her to commit to anyone!  Let’s hope future books will see her happier in her life, because if anyone deserves it it’s definitely Gina.

This was a great crime thriller, which had me hooked from the first page and didn’t let me go until the very end.  It was fast paced with lots of twists and turns and left me shocked in parts with the nature of the attacks!  Another great book in the series, and I can’t wait for the next book to catch up with DI Harte again!  Would definitely recommend.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

a young womans body is found by a lake, there is evidence that she had been restrained...as the evidence mounts up on their perp and with several lines of enquiry opening up gina and her team have their work cut out for them

with more red herrings and false leads you can feel the tension, which keeps you gripped right to the very end...

when one of their own goes missing the race is on to find them and with the clues piling up its a race against time

brilliant, just brilliant and i hadnt guessed who it was until near the end...so many red herrings

cant wait for the next book in the series

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Broken Ones, the eighth novel to feature DI Gina Harte of the Staffordshire Police.

Student Amber Slater disappears on her way to a date arranged through a dating app, then her body is found stabbed to death and her lips glued shut in a pond. Gina and the team are tasked with finding her killer, but things become more urgent when another young woman disappears in similar circumstances.

I enjoyed The Broken Ones which is a clever police procedural with plenty of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, but mostly Gina and the killer’s. I don’t know if this or just my mood is the reason it didn’t really hold my attention. The killer’s identity is never revealed until the denouement but everything else is, including motive and modus operandi. This means that the reader is often watching Gina and her team play catch-up and personally I find that a bit boring. I also find fictional killers and their thoughts tiresome and this one’s delusions offer nothing new to the genre.

On the other hand the novel is well plotted and conceived. There are plenty of suspects and each one is plausible, until they no longer are. I found myself believing that every one of them could be guilty and marvelling at the author’s skill in making me, a confirmed skeptic, believe. I also appreciated the secrets being hidden and the crimes uncovered. They also seem plausible.

Gina’s personal life and history are starting to take a back seat in this novel. About time too. There is still her trust issue so on-off relationship with DCI Briggs is in trouble again but mostly she is focused on her investigation.

The Broken Ones is a good read.

The Broken Ones by Carla Kovach is the 8th book in the Gina Harte series. I always look forward to authors next book and this I think it is the best one yet.
When a body of a young girl is found in the local park with her mouth glued shut it’s Gina responsibility to find who killed her.
Amber a local girl, who is well liked not only by her friends and housemates. But also, her tutors at the local university. She is also popular at the pub that she works 3 nights a week. But when Gina and her team start investigating, there are lots of secrets that people are not telling.  So, when another girl is found gravely wounded but alive. They find a link through a dating app called Appydater. The Police have a race against time to find the perpetrator.
This is another thrilling episode in the series that keeps you guessing through to the end, with all the potential leads that they must investigate. What is everyone hiding. I also love the camaraderie between the team, they are like one big happy family and the on/off relationship between Gina and Briggs to spice things up. 5 stars from me.

Wow what can I say this was another brilliant book by this author absolutely loved this author and already looking forward to the next instalment of Gina Hart and her escapades. Really warm to the characters in this authors books and was great to see Gina building more of a rapport with her colleagues in this one. This really kept me on my
Toes with lots of twists and turns and lots of wondering who the killer was. These books would make a
Great tv drama series.

I always start a new Carla Kovach book with high expectations , I haven't been disappointed yet , The Broken Ones was another fantastic Gina Hart Novel and I raced through it as usual . When the body of a young girl is found by a lake Gina and her team start to investigate her death . With clues leading back to so many people as usual we have plenty of red herrings , a dating site that seems to be a common denominator , and one of Gina's team very much in danger . What a great read , I love Gina's relationships with her team , they seem authentic and her on and off relationship with her boss always complicates things . Fantastic

I adore the Gina Harte series and every one of them is outstanding! 
A murdered student is found in a frozen lake throwing Gina and the team into a pot of red herrings! Naughty lecturers, weird uni friends and a bizarre landlord keep the reader guessing to the end! It is a good day for me when a new Carla kovach comes out!

I very much enjoyed this book.  It has a good story and excellent main characters.  I would definately recommend this book.

I always am happy to find out that a new Gina Harte story is available! Again, Carla Kovach does not disappoint her readers.

A solid suspense story with all of the great characters returning . This time they are investigating the death of a 20 year old girl. She was supposed to meet someone at a restaurant on a first date - yet she never appeared...

A wonderful MUST READ!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I’ve read the entire Gina Harte series and I have to say, hands down, this was my favorite of the series! 

This one pulled me in from the beginning and kept me guessing the whole time. Loved everything about it! I highly recommend this series to fans of crime thrillers. Can’t wait to see what happens next! 

Thank you so much #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.

What a ripping read!  Carla Kovach takes you inside a complex and ever changing police investigation.  All the characters are well developed and interesting from many angles.  The red herrings abound and you don't know whodunnit until the end.  Another great addition to the DI Gina Harte series!

Gina Harte is on the case of another serial murderer. This time the suspect has taken a young woman almost in plain sight, and her body is found with signs of being bound and with her lips glued together. When the murderer attempts another abduction, the target fights and gets away, but she cannot provide any details about her attacker. Within 24 hours, one of Gina's colleagues goes missing and assumed to be a victim of the same perpetrator. Gina and her team search frantically to find her before it's too late. With some misdirection, things get very intense and time is running out. Will they find their colleague in time? In her usual fashion, Kovach alternates storyteller voices (Gina, the victims, and the murderer). Not only does this provide insight into different characters, it also adds suspense, as readers gets bits and pieces of what drives the murderer. It's a good mystery that leaves me wanting to keep following Detective Harte.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.   I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception.   Great storyline and great characters and will have you hooked from Page 1.  Roll on Book 9

This is the eighth book in the Gina Harte series, and the first one I’ve had the pleasure of reading. 
When the body of a young woman is found in a lake, Gina and her team are called in to investigate. The story is told from several points of view, including the detective and the killer, and is was really  effective at keeping me guessing as to which of the suspects was the murderer. I enjoyed the writing style, the author has obviously done her homework in researching police procedure, and found the portrayal of Gina and her team realistic. Gina’s strength in leading her team, while having doubts about her personal life make her a likable lead. 
I will definitely be reading this series from the start, and have already signed up for the authors emails to be kept updated on future books. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this introduction to this great series.

Loved it!! The Detective Gina Harte Series is one of my favorites. Some parts of the book felt a little slow and drawn out, but over all it was a great mystery/thriller. There were so many twists and turns. I was suspicious of everyone in the book and thought pretty much everyone had to be the killer at one point or another. Was definitely shocked when the killer's identity was finally revealed. That was the one person for some reason that never crossed my radar as the possible killer. I was surprised I never figured it out. This person was definitely dealing with mental issues. Was Amber really the first irl he killed? There were some creepy people in this book. I want Gina and Briggs to live happily ever after. For every step forward they always manage to take ten steps back. I love reading about Gina and her group of officers. I laughed when Gina thought the three pesky kids reminded her of a Scooby Doo mystery. Loved Clover the kitty. He was an unexpected surprise, I was expecting Gina to find a dead body or someone tied up. 

Definitely recommend the book and the previous ones. I can't wait to see what's next for Detective Gina Harte. Look forward to reading more books by the author. I loved the cover of the book. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Broken Ones - a murder mystery that kept me gripped right until the end. When a body is found by a river and confirmed to be a missing student, Gina and her colleagues are tasked with finding out how and why she was murdered. With the murderer on the loose with potentially more victims, the narrative explores several different leads and all of the suspects seem plausible. I was very surprised at who the murderer was which made the book even better for me as it kept me guessing right until the end. Thank you Bookoture and Netgalley for letting me preview the book. I'd definitely recommend. It wont let me link to goodreads so I will review separately

I have read a lot of this series now and they do just seem to keep getting better!  The earlier ones in the series focused a lot on Detective Gina Harte's own personal story but - now this storyline has played out to a greater extent - I love the new focus on the ingenious plotting, creepy scenarios and casts of suspicious characters!

This book opens with the death of a student, Amber, whose body is found in Cleevesford Park - she went out on a date and never returned to her worried housemate.  Harte and her team begin their investigations and begin uncovering some weird characters and lots of secrets surrounding the dead woman.  The leads begin to mount up and Harte and her team struggle to prioritise their work - but a second disappearance has them scrambling to find connections before there is another murder.

I'm already bought into this series and like the character of DI Gina Harte - she is a likeable character and I also like the fact that she is a strong older women (she has a grown-up daughter) who is in control.  Her relationship with her team is positive and (mostly) problem-free, which is great as the focus is on the investigation rather than the police team.  The team themselves are often not particularly distinctive, so it was brilliant that one of them got a more important role in the plot this time around.

The plotting itself is cleverly done - there's always lots happening and plenty of red herrings to fall for.  In fact, this series seems to be getting more tense - the sections narrated by Meredith were really quite creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat!  I read this book really quickly as I couldn't wait to find out the next twist.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend this for readers who love police procedurals, especially if a female lead is a draw for you (as it is for me).  I'd suggest you start at the beginning of the series really, to fully appreciate the strength of DI Harte, but this would be fine as a stand alone.